DB

For the first time in my life, I found myself in a community center. I believe it was three stories tall, made of brick, and the interior was all wood. From the top to the bottom, there was wooden halls that stretched wide from side to side, mirroring a grand lawn, and with stairs just as big. It was made for hundreds of people to be in at the same time. It was made so that packs of people can comfortably go in and out of the building easily. There were multiple doors at each of the entrances. And each of the stairwells were made so that you could stand six people across. No…you could stand 10 people across the shoulder to shoulder and not feel crowded on a staircase. There were signs everywhere about all the sort of things that you can do at the community center. You could do art, and you can do theater. You can learn how to drive defensively. You could explore all sorts of different cultures. It was something truly glorious.

Now what I would like to know is…who makes a community center? Who decides where it goes and how big of a building you make? Is it similar to a museum? It’s made so that hundreds of people can go through it and it’s made with the expectation that you are going to have a lot of foot traffic. The exterior is made of durable material, and it’s made to imply a stately building. However, it is not so grand that you feel that it is too big of a building. It feels like your building.

You’ll notice that on the street that the community center is on, it does not shine brighter than the others. It is made of a color that blends in with the painting of community, and the only thing that makes it different is that it is a large building on its own. It is surrounded by space . There is a playground around the one that I saw in the parking space. It felt like it belonged.

What’s more is that wooden exterior of earth tones that makes you feel like you belong. Makes you feel warm and safe because it is literally warm and it is a literally safe. I felt the wood. It was not cold. The doors work off of a security system. You can only enter the building with a code and people are escorted in and out of the building for safety reasons. The only people entering the building are those who are invited in and I don’t believe it’s hard to get an invitation. You just have to call a person or schedule a class…or give a wave and say what you’re there for.

When I exited the community center after seeing an improv show there, I saw that across the hall, there was a drama studio. We were in the rehearsal hall, and there was a full stage with curtains and proper lighting. Kids were dancing and performing dreaming to become something bigger. And, I think you need a safe space like that to encourage those sort of dreams. You need something that feels like home so that you can grow from a kiddo to become something else. That is what a community center is. It is home, and something so big that it can accommodate anything that you would like to become. It’s a shame that I can only find it in a city.

Perhaps that’s because where I come from, a village raises a child and all of their dreams. But those types of dreams are only the size of a village. They do not become taller than our palm tree. I think you need the skyscrapers sometimes to remind yourselves that people can reach close to those far away clouds.